Forum Big Shot

Chapter 40: Forum Big Shot

Feng Ling was stunned too.

Was her temper really that bad? Or had the Corruption Value already made it impossible for her to control her emotions?

She frowned in thought, then stood up and went into the room. A moment later, she came out holding a bottle of air freshener and sprayed it toward Huangfu Miaomiao.

Huangfu Miaomiao was shocked. "...Wha, what is that?"

"I noticed while showering earlier that a nice scent helps calm my mood. Spraying some on you so I don't accidentally kill you." Feng Ling said.

Huangfu Miaomiao: "..."

Please don't say something so terrifying in such a calm tone!!!

Suddenly she couldn't eat anymore!

Zero appetite!

With ketchup smeared at the corner of her mouth, Huangfu Miaomiao looked like she'd lost her soul. She sat dazedly for a while, then asked Feng Ling, "Can I go out and buy some perfume?"

"Go ahead." Feng Ling pulled out a credit card and handed it to her. "Buy a good one. This current scent smells a bit cheap."

With her life on the line, Huangfu Miaomiao didn't dare delay. She took the credit card and immediately changed clothes to head out.

"Oh, and you should know," Feng Ling said from the dining table, using a small fork to spear a piece of watermelon as red juice dripped down, "...don't think about running. I've placed a Mark on you."

Huangfu Miaomiao shuddered instantly.

"Got it..." She shrank her neck and left.

As soon as Huangfu Miaomiao was gone, the apartment grew noticeably quieter, filled only with the faint sound of Feng Ling chewing food.

She was still mulling over the matter of Huangfu Miaomiao being removed as a friend.

Based on her speculation, this player named Moon Shadow on the forum was most likely the Xenomorph she had burned to death in that villa before.

That creature's body could transform into countless Blood Worms.

This ability was tricky. Though its attack power wasn't strong, it was too flexible and too variable. The worms could squeeze into any gap, and if she wasn't careful, they'd escape. Eradicating them root and branch was no easy task.

According to Little Skeleton, when a player Logs-out and then Logs-in their character again, they need to pay a large amount of Points. It could be inferred that this player named Moon Shadow was now dirt poor and urgently needed Points to survive.

Trading information about the Hidden Boss for Points would both solve their temporary predicament and indirectly get revenge—killing two birds with one stone.

As for why they deleted Huangfu Miaomiao as a friend...

Probably because... they had already reached a deal with someone else, so naturally there was no need to keep chatting.

Thinking up to here, Feng Ling couldn't suppress her growing restlessness.

Under the influence of the Corruption Value, her mind seemed unable to settle down and think clearly.

What to do?

What to do?

How to break this deadlock...

Feng Ling ate watermelon piece by piece, fiddling with her phone unconsciously. After thinking for a long time, she couldn't come up with any decent ideas.

She couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Huangfu Miaomiao was right—when the Corruption Value reached around 30%, it really did make one prone to mental fragmentation. Just sitting here eating watermelon, seeing the juice splatter everywhere, gave her the hallucination that her hands were drenched in blood.

She was nearly going crazy. How could she be expected to come up with a good plan?

Feng Ling sighed.

Feeling sorry for herself.

If only someone could give her some advice.

Unfortunately, she had no parents to rely on. The few good friends she had were all back in her hometown. In Qingjiang City, aside from Su Yuqing, whom she'd just met, there was no one else she could trust.

Should she go ask Su Yuqing for help?

But how could she bring this up to him?—"Because of me, a bunch of Xenomorphs are about to descend on Qingjiang. Be prepared."

Su Yuqing would probably pack her bags overnight and kick her out of Qingjiang, right?

Feng Ling pressed her hand to her forehead in pain.

After a moment, she suddenly thought of something and looked at her phone!

"I'm so stupid..." Feng Ling opened the Exo-Star Forum app, muttering to herself. "Players have a forum, and humans do too. The power of the masses is endless. I can just post on the forum to pool ideas..."

A purple-red star popped up, spinning as the page loaded.

Two seconds later, the forum interface finished loading, and Feng Ling immediately went to the most popular section to post!

She already had the title in mind—

[Hey everyone! What do I do if a bunch of Xenomorphs are ganging up to kill my friend?]

Pretending it was about a friend was standard procedure. Feng Ling believed those in the know would get it.

She improvised the body text freely, writing a long paragraph:

'Bean Paste: What do I do? Guys, my friend is so screwed—she picked up a card and somehow turned into a Hidden Boss, and now Xenomorphs are hunting her! She was just defending herself reasonably, but that Xenomorph held a grudge and leaked her info! Now the Xenomorphs are forming a group to kill her! Wuwuwu what do I do???'

The whole thing screamed helpless, weak, pitiful.

Feng Ling stared at the words she'd typed and found it surreal, muttering, "I really do have split personality... so split..."

Right, refresh the page first.

One reply appeared.

'Clear Wind: Not calling the cops? Waiting to eat at the funeral?'

Feng Ling: "..."

Refresh again.

'Dumpling Maker: Making up stories off the top of your head, huh? Go study the archives first—Xenomorphs' classification of humans has been sorted out for ages, never heard of a Hidden Boss.'

'Big Hamster: Your friend's losing it.'

'Mi Jia: Probably fishing for replies. Once the traffic's up, they'll plug an ad. Someone notify the mod to delete this thread.'

Feng Ling: "..."

Humans really were unlikable!

'Bean Paste: What do I have to do to make you believe me!!!'

'Mi Jia: Post a photo~ Since your friend got a card, have her show off its ability.'

'Clear Wind: Don't post cosplay pics, and no AI-generated images either, have some self-respect.'

'Big Hamster: Let OP post! Haha I wanna see!'

'Midsummer: Wanna see +1.'

'Little Yang Wants to Sleep: Wanna see +99.'

The reply count suddenly surged.

Feng Ling was speechless, thinking: Where's the power of the masses? The masses are just using it for popcorn, aren't they?

She was about to close the page and call it quits when a new reply refreshed:

'Weasel01: Don't post.'

'Weasel01: Photos might leak your current location.'

Feng Ling froze slightly.

She recognized that name—he was the forum's famous reposting bigshot, known for tirelessly reposting all kinds of Xenomorph knowledge on the forum day after day!

And this guy rarely spoke, his whole deal being a low-key, anonymous reposter.

After the reposting bigshot appeared, Feng Ling's thread exploded in popularity—

'Big Hamster: Holy crap, Bigshot Weasel suddenly grew a mouth!'

'Clear Wind: What does the bigshot mean? Don't tell me he actually believes OP's nonsense?'

'Midsummer: Hmm... if OP's telling the truth, posting a photo really is too dangerous.'

'Falling Tide: What's going on, what's going on? I'm wide awake now! So our resistance has gained another powerhouse? And a hidden one at that?'

'Little Yang Wants to Sleep: Seems like it...'

'Mi Jia: I'm almost convinced! OP, swear you won't post ads, or I'll curse you for life!'

'Clear Wind: @Weasel01, bigshot, say something—is the Hidden Boss real or not?'

Feng Ling opened her unread messages in surprise.

The forum bigshot had sent her a private message~